I’ll admit, the headline of this article seems kind of… panicky. I guess technically, the ECU Pirates could struggle through their non-conference schedule and still have a successful season. It’s just that the confluence of events going into the 2016 season makes the early stretch of the Pirates’ schedule vitally important.
Then again, it’s not like the Pirates aren’t fully capable of making some noise in the first month of the season. Either way, ECU’s non-conference schedule is going to have a major impact on the season. So, let’s deconstruct the Pirates’ non-conference slate and see why it’s so important.
Like usual, ECU plays 3 Power 5 schools in non-conference action and all of their conference road games are against bowl teams from last yr.
— Brad Powers (@BradPowers7) May 16, 2016
The Easy Part
Sorry, Western Carolina. The ECU season opener will not only mark the beginning of the 2016 season, but it will also be the opening of the Scottie Montgomery era in Greenville. As such, Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium will be rocking on September 3 as the Pirates take on Western Carolina. Not only that, but Montgomery will surely have his staff and players ready to make a good first impression on the Pirate faithful. A strong start will send a message and provide the Pirates’ group of untested players and coaches with an opportunity to get their feet wet.
The atmosphere and optimism that comes with the opening of the season (and by extension, Montgomery’s tenure as head coach) should be enough to carry the Pirates over Western Carolina. If they do that, it’ll put them in good position as they head into the difficult part of their non-conference slate.
The Hard Part
First, the good news: ECU’s three Power 5 non-conference opponents – NC State, South Carolina and Virginia Tech – aren’t exactly overpowering. Better yet, the Pirates have a fairly good historical record against these three teams. Some of the biggest wins in program history have come against great Virginia Tech and NC State teams.
The bad news is that all three teams present unique challenges for the Pirates. Their first test will be at home against the Wolfpack on September 10. NC State is coming off of a 7-6 season in which it made its second consecutive bowl appearance, albeit in a loss to Mississippi State in the Belk Bowl. Even with two straight bowl appearances, the Pack enter 2016 with a new offensive coordinator (Eliah Drinkwitz) and will have to replace quarterback Jacoby Brissett. They also have a host of other key players to replace, which makes NC State vulnerable. Still, they’re a solid team.
After the Wolfpack, the Pirates make their first road trip, traveling to SEC country to take on South Carolina. Much like ECU, South Carolina is at the precipice of a new era. New head coach Will Muschamp is now in charge in Columbia, and consequently, the Gamecocks are also staring a new regime in the face. Thus, they’ll face many of the same challenges as the Pirates. Worse yet for South Carolina, they’re coming off a disjointed 3-9 season and will be looking for redemption. They return a majority of the same faces that closed 2015 with five straight losses, and may have to go with freshman QB Brandon McIlwain after losing leading passer and rusher Lorenzo Nunez to a knee injury. With all that in mind, this game will serve as ECU’s best opportunity to make a statement early on in the season, as a win will give the Pirates a huge boost going forward.
ECU’s third and final non-conference matchup will be against Virginia Tech. The Pirates have won two straight against the Hokies, winning 35-28 last year in Greenville and upsetting No.-17 ranked Virginia Tech 28-21 in Lane Stadium two years ago. The 2016 Hokies will have one of the best secondaries in the nation, which should cause some problems for ECU. Lane Stadium is always a difficult place to get a win, so the Pirates will have their work cut out for them.
Breaks of the Game(s)
There’s no overstating how important ECU’s opening stretch is. Best-case scenario, it pulls out four wins and the Scottie Montgomery era is off to the races. At worst, it’s probably sitting 1-3 and facing an uphill climb the rest of the way out. No matter what happens, how the Pirates play out their non-conference schedule will set the tone for the rest of the season. Stumble out of the blocks, and it could plant a seed of doubt in the minds of Montgomery and the rest of the Pirates. But if they can string together a solid group of outings and possibly come away with a couple big wins over Power 5 teams, then the Pirates and Montgomery can ride the wave of that momentum throughout the rest of 2016.
One way or the other, we’ll have a pretty good idea of what we’re getting with the 2016 ECU Pirates after their non-conference schedule.
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